Patrick Dempsey, the "McDreamy" neurosurgeon on "Grey's Anatomy," is making a real-life commitment to health care by investing in CrowdMed, a San Francisco health tech startup.

CrowdMed is an online platform that uses crowdsourcing technology to help patients with unidentified diseases. Patients write about their symptoms and "medical detectives" - people with medical backgrounds or expertise in specific conditions - try to crack the cases. CrowdMed said Tuesday that Dempsey, 48, is investing an unspecified amount in the company.

But the investment in CrowdMed does appear to be the actor's first step into the intersection of health and technology.

"After meeting with several Silicon Valley healthcare startups, I was immediately drawn to CrowdMed's mission of helping those who have run out of alternatives," the actor said in a statement. "I remember being overwhelmed when my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer almost a decade ago, and I know how challenging it can be trying to make the best medical decisions for oneself or a loved one. The patients who are turning to CrowdMed can't even begin to think about treatment options because they haven't been able to find an accurate medical diagnosis yet - but hopefully we can change that."

Dempsey is hoping that CrowdMed turns out better than Tully's Coffee. His venture acquired the coffee shop chain out of bankruptcy, only to dissolve the partnership last year.

Dempsey is among a growing number of Hollywood actors who are betting on Silicon Valley. One of the most famous examples is Ashton Kutcher, whose A-Grade Investments has backed YPlan, Uber, Airbnb and Getaround. Leonardo DiCaprio has invested in Mobli, an Instagram-like app that lets users decorate pictures and videos with colorful filters.